1 Corinthians 1
1 I, Paul, [am writing this letter]. Sosthenes, our fellow believer, is with [me as I write it]. [God] appointed me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus because that is what God desired.
παυλοσ κλητοσ αποστολοσ ιησου χριστου δια θεληματοσ θεου και σωσθενησ ο αδελφοσ
2 [I am sending this letter] to all you who are God’s believers in Corinth [city]. You have been set apart [by God] {[God] has set you apart} for himself because (of your close relationship with/you belong to) Christ Jesus. God has appointed you to be his people and to live in a morally pure way, just like he has appointed all the people everywhere who belong to him to live in a morally pure way. You and they have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ [MTY]. He is their sovereign Lord as well as the sovereign Lord of all of us [(inc)] who have trusted in him.
τη εκκλησια του θεου τη ουση εν κορινθω ηγιασμενοισ εν χριστω ιησου κλητοισ αγιοισ συν πασιν τοισ επικαλουμενοισ το ονομα του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου εν παντι τοπω αυτων τε και ημων
3 We [(exc)] desire that God, who is our [heavenly] Father, and Jesus Christ, who is our sovereign Lord, will continue to act kindly toward you and cause you to experience [inner] peace.
χαρισ υμιν και ειρηνη απο θεου πατροσ ημων και κυριου ιησου χριστου
4 I very often [HYP] thank God for you because he has acted toward you kindly, acting in ways that you do not deserve. He has done this because of your (having a close relationship with/being united to) Christ Jesus.
ευχαριστω τω θεω μου παντοτε περι υμων επι τη χαριτι του θεου τη δοθειση υμιν εν χριστω ιησου
5 That is, [God] has [HYP] helped you spiritually very much because of your (having a close relationship with/being united to) Christ. Specifically, God has very much [HYP] enabled you to speak messages [that his Spirit revealed to you], and he has very much enabled you to know many things [HYP] that his Spirit revealed to you.
οτι εν παντι επλουτισθητε εν αυτω εν παντι λογω και παση γνωσει
6 In that way, [he] confirmed to you that what we [(exc)] proclaimed about Christ is true.
καθωσ το μαρτυριον του χριστου εβεβαιωθη εν υμιν
7 As a result, while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to return, within your group you truly have [LIT] every ability that [God’s] Spirit gives [to believers].
ωστε υμασ μη υστερεισθαι εν μηδενι χαρισματι απεκδεχομενουσ την αποκαλυψιν του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου
8 God will also cause you to steadfastly [trust Christ to the very end of your lives] [EUP]. The result will be that God will not consider you guilty [of any sin] when our Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth [MTY].
οσ και βεβαιωσει υμασ εωσ τελουσ ανεγκλητουσ εν τη ημερα του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου
9 You can depend on God to do that. He is the one who chose you to become intimately associated with his Son, Jesus Christ, who is our Lord.
πιστοσ ο θεοσ δι ου εκληθητε εισ κοινωνιαν του υιου αυτου ιησου χριστου του κυριου ημων
10 My fellow believers, by the authority of [MTY] our Lord Jesus Christ, I urgently appeal to all of you to agree with one another. What I mean is, stop dividing into groups. Instead, be united [MET] concerning what you understand [about spiritual matters], and be united in what you decide.
παρακαλω δε υμασ αδελφοι δια του ονοματοσ του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου ινα το αυτο λεγητε παντεσ και μη η εν υμιν σχισματα ητε δε κατηρτισμενοι εν τω αυτω νοι και εν τη αυτη γνωμη
11 My fellow believers, [I urge this] because some members of Chloe’s household have told me that you are quarreling among yourselves.
εδηλωθη γαρ μοι περι υμων αδελφοι μου υπο των χλοησ οτι εριδεσ εν υμιν εισιν
12 That is, some of you say, “Paul is the one to whom we [are loyal],” and others say, “Peter is the one to whom we [are loyal],” and still others say, “Christ is the one to whom we [are loyal].”
λεγω δε τουτο οτι εκαστοσ υμων λεγει εγω μεν ειμι παυλου εγω δε απολλω εγω δε κηφα εγω δε χριστου
13 [It is ridiculous that] [RHQ] [you are quarreling and] dividing up [into groups instead of being loyal to] Christ alone. Christ certainly has not divided himself into parts and distributed those parts out [to groups of people who oppose each other]! [MET, RHQ] I, Paul, certainly did not die on the cross for you! [RHQ] When you were baptized {When someone baptized you}, you certainly did not promise that you were submitting to me! [RHQ]
μεμερισται ο χριστοσ μη παυλοσ εσταυρωθη υπερ υμων η εισ το ονομα παυλου εβαπτισθητε
14 I thank [God] that Crispus and Gaius were the only ones from among you whom I baptized.
ευχαριστω τω θεω οτι ουδενα υμων εβαπτισα ει μη κρισπον και γαιον
15 As a result, no one [there in Corinth except those two] can say, “Paul baptized me so that I would become (his disciple/submissive to him).”
ινα μη τισ ειπη οτι εισ το εμον ονομα εβαπτισα
16 [Now I remember that] I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I do not remember baptizing anyone else [there].
εβαπτισα δε και τον στεφανα οικον λοιπον ουκ οιδα ει τινα αλλον εβαπτισα
17 Christ sent me not [primarily] to baptize people but to preach the good message about him. When I do that, he does not want me to use words that human philosophers [consider] wise [IRO]. I do not want the message about [what] he [accomplished when he was nailed to] the cross [MTY] to lose its power.
ου γαρ απεστειλεν με χριστοσ βαπτιζειν αλλ ευαγγελιζεσθαι ουκ εν σοφια λογου ινα μη κενωθη ο σταυροσ του χριστου
18 Those who are perishing spiritually [because they do not believe that message consider] that the message [about what Christ accomplished when he was nailed to the] cross [MTY] [is] foolish. But to us who are being saved {whom [God] is saving} [spiritually because we believe that message], it [demonstrates that] God acts powerfully [in order to save us].
ο λογοσ γαρ ο του σταυρου τοισ μεν απολλυμενοισ μωρια εστιν τοισ δε σωζομενοισ ημιν δυναμισ θεου εστιν
19 [It is like what God said that] a prophet wrote long ago, [By the things that I will do], I will show that the ideas of those who [think] [IRO] they are wise are completely useless. I will ignore the ideas that they think are [IRO] so smart.
γεγραπται γαρ απολω την σοφιαν των σοφων και την συνεσιν των συνετων αθετησω
20 So, do you know [what God thinks] about what [RHQ] people who [IRO] consider themselves to be wise and scholars and philosophers say? [He does not pay attention to what they say, because] [RHQ] he has shown clearly that what unbelievers [think is] [IRO] wise is [not wise at all], but is really foolish. (aiōn g165)
που σοφοσ που γραμματευσ που συζητητησ του αιωνοσ τουτου ουχι εμωρανεν ο θεοσ την σοφιαν του κοσμου τουτου (aiōn g165)
21 God, acting very wisely, made it impossible for unbelievers to know God by doing what they thought was [IRO] wise. Instead, he was happy to save those who trust [in Christ] as the result of their hearing [the message that] was proclaimed to them, a message that others consider to be foolish.
επειδη γαρ εν τη σοφια του θεου ουκ εγνω ο κοσμοσ δια τησ σοφιασ τον θεον ευδοκησεν ο θεοσ δια τησ μωριασ του κηρυγματοσ σωσαι τουσ πιστευοντασ
22 The Jews want [people to prove, by performing] miracles, [that their message is true]. The non-Jews want to hear only messages consisting of talk that they consider to be very wise.
επειδη και ιουδαιοι σημειον αιτουσιν και ελληνεσ σοφιαν ζητουσιν
23 As for us, we proclaim [the message about what] Christ [accomplished for us when] he was nailed {[when they] nailed him} to the cross. That message offends Jews [because they do not think that the Messiah will die, and] non-Jews think it is [IRO] a foolish message.
ημεισ δε κηρυσσομεν χριστον εσταυρωμενον ιουδαιοισ μεν σκανδαλον ελλησιν δε μωριαν
24 But to us whom God has chosen to belong to himself, both Jews and non-Jews, that message shows that God acted powerfully and wisely [by sending] Christ [to die] for us.
αυτοισ δε τοισ κλητοισ ιουδαιοισ τε και ελλησιν χριστον θεου δυναμιν και θεου σοφιαν
25 [Unbelievers may think] [IRO] [that] God was [acting] foolishly [by doing that], but [the truth is that] he was acting more wisely than unbelievers who [just think that] [IRO] they are wise. And unbelievers may think that God was [acting] weakly [by sending his son to die], but he was acting more powerfully than unbelievers who [just think] [IRO] [that they] act powerfully.
οτι το μωρον του θεου σοφωτερον των ανθρωπων εστιν και το ασθενεσ του θεου ισχυροτερον των ανθρωπων εστιν
26 My fellow believers, remember what [kind of people you] were when God chose you. [Not many of you] whom he chose are people whom [unbelievers considered to be] wise. Very few of you were considered to be important. Very few of you came from families with a high social standing.
βλεπετε γαρ την κλησιν υμων αδελφοι οτι ου πολλοι σοφοι κατα σαρκα ου πολλοι δυνατοι ου πολλοι ευγενεισ
27 Instead, it was [usually] those whom [unbelievers considered to be] foolish whom God chose. He did that in order to shame/discredit those whom [unbelievers consider] [IRO] wise. It was [usually] those [whom unbelievers] considered [IRO] unimportant whom God chose, in order to shame/discredit those whom unbelievers consider important.
αλλα τα μωρα του κοσμου εξελεξατο ο θεοσ ινα τουσ σοφουσ καταισχυνη και τα ασθενη του κοσμου εξελεξατο ο θεοσ ινα καταισχυνη τα ισχυρα
28 It was usually those who are despised and considered {whom [unbelievers] despise and consider} worthless whom God chose, in order to make completely ineffective [what unbelievers consider to be important].
και τα αγενη του κοσμου και τα εξουθενημενα εξελεξατο ο θεοσ και τα μη οντα ινα τα οντα καταργηση
29 [He did that] in order that no one could boast to God about being wise or important.
οπωσ μη καυχησηται πασα σαρξ ενωπιον του θεου
30 It is because of what God [has done] that you (have a close relationship with/belong to) Christ Jesus. God [put into effect] his wise [plan to save us] by what Christ did for us. As a result of what Christ did, God erases the record of our sins, sets us apart for himself, and frees us from our being guilty [for our sins].
εξ αυτου δε υμεισ εστε εν χριστω ιησου οσ εγενηθη ημιν σοφια απο θεου δικαιοσυνη τε και αγιασμοσ και απολυτρωσισ
31 So, it is the Lord whom we should boast about, [not about one spiritual leader being better than another]. We should do as ([a prophet/Jeremiah]) wrote [in the Scriptures that we should do]: Those who boast should boast [only] about what the Lord [has done].
ινα καθωσ γεγραπται ο καυχωμενοσ εν κυριω καυχασθω
